Saturday, May 23, 2009

As some of my family will attest I rearrange way too often. My husband once said that he would likely walk in the door after work and not recognize his own home, and I'm pretty sure that happened the day I moved the fish tank into the kitchen. I had to stop halfway there because the washer hose popped off and there was water ankle deep flooding our apartment... However, he's also made a few remarks about what an awesome view we had from the schoolroom and how he wished the office had the same view. In a moment of insanity I said, "Let's swap." He thought I was joking. I wasn't. I told him I'd be back in 5 minutes and his mind had to be made up by then. When I came back he was still deliberating, and humming, and completely unsure. Truth be told, I suspect he was agonizing over the three brimming bookcases that flank the walls of our schoolroom. He was also worried his "stuff" wouldn't fit. (You know his desk and trash can, cause our office is seriously lacking in it's professionalism.. Don't laugh, some businesses start on a coffee table..)

I drew it all out on paper, pulled out my trusty string (the tape measure was missing) and showed him that his single desk and trash bin would fit in the room. I had my doubts that I'd fit all our school related stuff in the "blue" room, but I was up for the challenge. So we dug out boxes, and the kids let out cries of, "We're moving again??" In fact I think for the first time in their little lives they were very disappointed by the thought. Once we assured them that we were just swapping stuff around they were eager to help. "Many hands make light work."

By the end of the day we'd officially swapped the contents of two rooms. It didn't take much to transform our new schoolroom into a cozy little spot. I also pulled down a privacy curtain (lace) that was in the window (because in the winter our naked tree permits our neighbors to see in it if they so choose), and it gave us a much nicer view. We get to stare at the farmer's field next door, and watch the sheep graze, the pigeons forage (yup really), the seagulls squawk, and the lapwings demand they all go away.

In the spring we'll be able to see the farmer plowing and planting, and even some in the fall. We'll have a great view of the harvester when it comes to collect the poppies. It's also great fun to watch the Honey Suckers jump from tree to tree as they spot the lizards in the back garden, or the blackbirds who've decided our roof is their home and no one else is allowed near it.

I probably shouldn't share that photo, because the tree in the background that's half naked from lack of leaves.. that's the boys "secret place" where they go and hide and plan and plot all sorts of fun things. One day they hope to see a treehouse there. The guinea pigs are also burried up under that tree. But, I had to share the photo, because the bush right next to it is loaded each summer with some very beautiful daises. Plus, if you squint hard enough you'll see a bit of the mountains in the very back of the photo. The front of our home looks out into the ocean, and the rest of the windows get mountainous views.

We can see those mountains from the schoolroom too, but I couldn't get a good picture from the schoolroom window. Hopefully my neighbors didn't think I was spying on them. At night, we get a view of the city lights on the other side of the harbor, and when they do fireworks over there we get a spectacular view right from our own home. The only thing better is when the moon is big and round and white and it shines down on the ocean. Jayden keeps hoping one day when it happens he'll get to see a dolphin swim by..